"Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.  Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart."

I love what this quote emphasizes; that being at peace does not mean that you aren't climbing obstacles or that everything is perfect.  I love the idea even in a time of noise and trouble, your heart can be calm.

To be at ease in this fast paced life is hard to do. It seems that there is always something to worry about and always something to do. As you get older it is even harder to find peace.  People we love get sick, we get sick, we lose people, and the list goes on.  I think to be at peace in your heart, despite what the world throws at you, has to be one of the greatest gifts.  Everyday, I am still trying to learn how to find peace.  

It has taken a lot of soul searching and a year (and more) of just not feeling like myself to say that I'm finally learning peace. I understand more than ever how fragile life is.  I understand more than ever that I will be thrown obstacles and hardships.  And,I think it is understanding, that might be the first step towards having a calm heart.   When you understand and accept the facts of life, it allows you to cope more.  When you understand that hardships and ups and downs are apart of this life, you understand there is less to fear.

Maybe the key to a calm heart is to understand this cycle of life.  Our birth, our struggles, our accomplishments, our defeats, our dreams, and our passing.  To UNDERSTAND that we will face these things, that it is apart of this life and that we cannot fear the cycle.  I believe we should work to understand, so we do not fear. Because it is fear that stirs our heart......

I don't have the answer to peace within yourself.  All I know is  that I'm continually looking for the answer.  And the more I look, the more I realize, that finding peace is being happy with where I am now.   It is accepting my emotions and allowing myself to feel, but not allowing these feelings to consume me.   It is being okay with the storms and the tides, and knowing that all of this is the flow of life.  It might not be understanding WHY things happen, but understanding that things do happen.  With understanding, we conquer fear, and when we conquer fear, we can hopefully find peace.